Life Goes On
by Dixie Lee
Summary: After Sam graduates from college, she comes back home. But some things have changed.Are they for the better? Again, I am sorry for the delay,but I really have not had anytime for anything, esp writing. I'm hoping to edit, repost and finish it soooonnnn
1. Prologue & Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Sam Forster tossed her cap into the air, along with the other students in her graduation class.

She was graduating from the University of Nevada, majoring in journalism. She was also taking an on line photography course at another college. She had several job offers, but only one really interested her. It was from the Darton Weekly, her hometown newspaper. She could live at home, work on the ranch, and do what she loved the most. She looked around. Her best friend, Jen Kenworthy came up to her and screamed,

"You did it Sam! You're done with college!"

"Yeah, not like you, with four more years to go." Sam teased her friend as they hugged.

"So what? I've always loved school." Jen had been spending the last four years with Sam at the University of Nevada, and had now won a scholarship onto UC Davis. She was studying to be a vet, and had graduated top in her class, just as she had for high school.

"Well done, kiddo." said a voice behind Sam.

"Dad!" She would recognize him anywhere, even if he didn't have his usual jeans and flannel plaid shirt. Today, in honor of the occasion, he wore a new shirt, with nice pants, and his better boots. He still carried his hat in his hand as well.

"I'm so proud of you, honey." Gram hugged Sam and looked up at her and smiled. In the last few years, Sam had shot up, suddenly following her father's growth, instead of her mothers. However, she still had the auburn hair, and the eyes like her mother, and the legendary Forster stubbornness.

"Congratulations, Sam." said Brynna. She hugged Sam and was followed by Cody, who had celebrated his sixth birthday in December, and four year old Karen, then two year old Austin. Brynna was seven and a half months pregnant with her fourth child, which they assumed was going to be a girl. Sam was thrilled. She felt that her life was headed on the right track. She was done with college, done with school, and had three younger siblings, and a fourth one on the way. She had an incredible best friend, and several friends from college. She'd had her share of unfortunate romances in college, but they were all over, and she was happy. She was ready for the future.

**Chapter 1**

Sam pulled into River Bend two weeks after graduation. She was driving a blue F250 that was used but ran well. She had received it for a graduation present from high school. She had immediately named it Rebel, after she started it and it backfired, scaring all the horses in the field, and causing her cow Buddy to break out of the barn, and ensure chaos for the rest of the afternoon, while trying to get Buddy back into the barn.

She opened the door, grabbed her bag and soda, and slammed it to let everyone know that she was home. She walked to the bed, and pulled out her many suitcases.

Gram came down the steps and hurried over to her.

"Sam, sweetie. Welcome home!" she said as if she hadn't seen her in several years.

"Thanks, Gram. It's great to be home."

"Leave your bags in the bed. Jack will get them." said Gram, while ushering her into the house.

"Who's Jack?" asked Sam, in astonishment.

"Oh, my gosh, I forgot. He's the new cowhand. He does most of what Dallas used to do, except for the Foreman's jobs. It's easier on Dallas, now, with his arthritis and such. He's so quiet. More so than Ross."

"Wow. He must be _silent._" joked Sam. They entered the house, and Sam hung up her hat, took off her boots and sat down at the kitchen table. Grace bustled around, getting Sam some of her famous apple pie.

"mm, Gram. You should open a store. This is better than ever!" Sam gushed. Gram just smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Take it easy Sam. That's the last piece." she cautioned, "The Ely's are having a party for you, Jen and Cam." Cam was one of the Ely's adopted daughters, who was the same age as Sam and Jen, and had hung out with them during their college years. She and her younger sister Sarah were half Shoshone, like the other Ely kids, and had lost their parents in a fire on the reservation. Maxine and Luke had been asked to adopt them by Mac, and agreed to do it.

"Cool." responded Sam. "What time is it?"

"Well, it's around six, but anytime around that will do."

"Okay. Can I go out to see Ace, or do you have anything for me to do?" Sam smiled knowing that it wasn't often that she didn't have a chore to do.

"No, I guess I can't give you chores on your graduation and still have a clean conscience." Sam knew better than to point out that it wasn't her graduation anymore, so she just smiled and pulled on her boots and hat and was shooed out the door by her grandmother.

She walked into the barn, and was greeted by an unfamiliar boy, and two new horses. She looked in shock at the new boy, then remembered what her gram had said, about the new ranch hand.

"You must be Jack. I'm Sam." She smiled and stuck out her hand. He nodded and shook her hand firmly. He went back to brushing the bay in front of him.

"Who's this?" asked Sam.

"Rodeo."

"And who's that?" She asked, pointing to the one in front of Rodeo. She noticed that she had to ask, and push.

"Bucky."

"Does he buck?"

Jack shook his blond head and returned to brushing. Sam noticed that he wore a camouflage ball cap instead of a stetson, and his button down plaid shirt and snug wranglers were matched with work boots, that had an extra heel. He wore a 4-H belt buckle, and his hands were lightly scarred. In her opinion, he didn't look like a cowboy. He looked like a farmer from east. He was cute, but silent. She'd only gotten two words and two gestures out of him. Just like Jake.

Jake. Now there was something to think about. She hadn't seen him in over a year, because their schedules had conflicted so much. He was working on his own family's ranch, and over Christmas, her family had come to the college. She felt differently about him, but she couldn't place her finger on it. She thought about him a lot. And she could only remember her most embarrassing moments with him. And she would see him tonight. Suddenly she couldn't wait for tonight. Then she noticed that Jack was looking at her. She realized that she'd been staring into space, then gotten a very excited look on her face.

"Ace!" she spotted the mustang and rushed toward him. He nickered, and she scooped a handful of grain and offered it to him. He snuffed it up and pushed his nose in for more.

"That's the only reason why you're glad to see me." she half complained, half joked.

"Samantha! Don't be spoiling that horse!" yelled a voice.

"Dallas! You know I wouldn't!" she yelled. For all his faults, she was thrilled to see the old cowboy. She could ask him about anything, and he gave her nothing but the truth, and the whole truth at that. She walked up to him to say hello.

"'Bout time you came back." he said. 'Typical cowboy. No emotions whatsoever.' But she grinned.

"Hi, Dallas." She leaned to the side, making sure that Jack couldn't hear them. "Who's Jack? All Gram told me was that he's new and quieter than Pepper."

"He's a farm boy from the southeast. He can sing, and he'll do it if he likes you. He's great with horses, he knows about cows, more Charolais than Herefords, but still knows about beef. He does some rodeo riding, but other than that, we don't know much. He keeps in contact with his family, and he used to have a girl, but we know nothing more." It was a lot for any cowboy to say, and it was as close to gossip as Dallas would ever come.

"Oh. How did you find him?"

"He was a wandering hand, looking for hire, came across Jed Kenworthy, but he didn't need any help, so he sent him onto our place."

"Wow." was all Sam could say.

"Sam! Where are you?" yelled her father.

"Out by the pasture!" She hollered back.

"Come into the barn." now his voice was only slightly raised. She did as he asked. He was standing by Rodeo.

"Sam, you've grown."

"Yeah, I know." She grinned, curious. Her dad didn't state the obvious very often, if at all.

"Well, you've outgrown Ace, and he's outgrown his tricks. I've given him to Cody." he said quickly.

"What?!"

"You're going to get Rodeo here." he said even more quickly, trying to ease her temper.

"How, how was 'Rodeo' named?" she asked delicately.

"Well, he came with it. But he doesn't act like a bronc, so you'll be fine. Everyone's ridden him, except Cody and them."

"Oh. Wow. So he's _mine_?" Sam smiled. He was a nice horse. He was a buckskin, with a black mane and tail, and stood about 16 hands high. In Sam's opinion, he was homely looking, but he would do.

"Yes, he is." her dad was impatient with stating the obvious. "You can ride him to the Ely's tonight."

"Yes sir." The men all departed from the barn, and left Sam with her new horse. "You're a big boy, aren't you?" She cooed to the horse. "And a very handsome one too." She scooped out three sugar cubes of a tin that stood on a hay bale, and offered them to him. He gobbled them all up at once.

"Piggy horse, aren't you?" she giggled. She rubbed his face, and he let her.

Three hours later, Sam had bonded with Rodeo, and noticed that he didn't seem to want to play tricks, but the true test would come when she rode over to the Ely's. She was excited, but nervous about riding in front of the new cowboy, Jack. She'd been born to the saddle, but had been nervous ever since the accident. She had become almost as good as Jake, and his absences had helped her catch up. She was always nervous when riding in front of strangers, especially on a new horse.

She shook her head. She would deal with that when the time came. She headed up to her room, grabbed her shower things, and headed to the bathroom, while yelling that she was going to take a shower.

When she was done, she towel dried her hair, and pulled on an indigo colored camisole, and then a light turquoise patterned western shirt, with her best dark jeans and a nice pair of boots. She pulled her hair into a clip and slipped on a straw hat, then applied a clear lip gloss, and skin tone eyeshadow. She looked in the mirror and was pleased with the result. Her curves were shown, but not so much that it looked slutty. Her chest wasn't all that big, but it was big enough, and shown off by the shirt. Her jeans were almost black, but not quite. She was almost five foot eight with the boot heels. Her hair was mostly straight, but had a slight curl to it.

"Sammy!" called Cody, so loud and suddenly that it made her jump. "Come on! What's taking so long?"

"Coming!" She bellowed back. Most people were surprised to find out what a large voice she had, considering her size. She thundered down the stairs, and skidded to a stop in the kitchen.

"Sam, I swear, you're going to kill yourself! Slow down!" Scolded Grace. Sam smiled meekly and apologized as they all filed out into the yard where Jack, Pepper and Ross were saddling the horses.

Brynna loaded up Cody, Austin and Karen with Grace and Dallas in her van. Sam could tell that Dallas was annoyed and embarrassed that he had to ride in a van, but she said nothing. Jack handed her Rodeo, and she said a thank you, and he murmured a response, while looking down. She and the other men mounted up, and she and Jack rode out bringing up the rear on Rodeo and Bucky. Ross was on Tank and Pepper was on Jeepers Creepers, her father was on Duke, a trainee horse. Pepper and Wyatt talked about the ranch and what they had to do, with occasional input from Ross, and gestures from Jack, for a while. Then they all fell silent, and Pepper, Ross and Wyatt started loping, and Jack and Sam hung back.

"So. I'm Sam." she attempted to start a conversation. "and you're Jack?"

"Mhmm." he said, not sounding annoyed, but it had a tone that said "Duh."

"How long you been here?" she tried again. He merely shrugged. She almost sighed.

"Want to lope?" she asked, and when he nodded, they took off.

When they reached the Ely's yard, the party was just beginning. As Sam swung off Rodeo, and Jack took the reigns out of her hand, Quinn and Brian came jogging up.

"Sam!" yelled Brian. He engulfed Sam in an enormous bear hug.

"Mhi Mian!" she mumbled as well as she could, being pressed against him. She liked to think of the Elys' as big redwoods with their light mahogany skin, and dark hair. Brian's hair was closely cut to his head, almost a buzz cut. Quinn's was slightly longer, but spiked up, the same way it was seven years ago, though slightly shorter. He had a small earing in his left ear.

Quinn laughed, because only he could understand what she was trying to say. Because the only thing that she could move was her hand, she flipped it up and down in the general direction of Quinn, which only made him laugh harder.

"Hi, Sam." he said, calming down enough to speak. But Sam's reply of "Mh mi nnh" only made him laugh again.

Then, the boys' mother came over and scolded Brian, saying, "Brian let the poor girl breath!"

As soon as Brian had let go, the women collapsed into each other's arms, and shared a hug that a mother and daughter might share. Sam enjoyed it, knowing that Maxine and her own mom had been friends, and that this was as close as a mother Sam would get. Sometimes, Gram and Brynna didn't cut it, in the way that Maxine did. Brian made a smart comment, but they ignored him, then let go, and Maxine moved off to greet Brynna and Gram, and take the food from them.

Quinn came in and gave her a brotherly hug and then Adam and Nate came up and did the same.

"Hey, Sam," called Nate, "you gotta meet someone!"

"Who?" Sam was interested.

"My girlfriend." he said abruptly.

"Wha-at?!!" she was shocked.

"I know, who'd a thunk? We thought he was lying at first. Who'd date old Mr. Quiet and Shy over here?" joked Brian.

"Brian!" yelled Sam, "That's not what I meant at all!"

"Uh huh," said Nate in an 'I don't believe you' tone.

"I didn't!" she yelled. "I only meant that I was surprised because-" she was cut off by Brian

"You didn't think that anyone would date him." Brian smirked as she got more irritated.

"NO! Stop interrupting me!" and she aimed a punch at Brian, but he dodged.

"All I meant was that no one told me, so I wasn't expecting it!" she said exasperatedly.

"To ever happen, you mean." jeered Quinn, finally joining in on the teasing.

"Not you too!" she groaned. Quinn was one of the more quiet and responsible Ely's, second only to Jake. But you knew you were done for when he joined in the joke, because even he couldn't resist it sometimes. Sam remembered the few times that she, Quinn and Brian had played jokes on Jake and Pepper.

"Come on, Sam, we'll leave these idiots to their stupid jokes. _I_ know you believe me. Besides you have to meet her. You'll like her, and you gotta approve."

"How does she feel about that?" She teased

"Okay. She knows you're my unadopted little sister." he smiled, as they walked up to a pretty young woman with short straight blond hair. She wore a silky western shirt that was a Jade color, with dark jeans, deep brown cowgirl boots and a straw hat.

"Hey. I'm Abbi Lee Smith . Abbi for short." she held out her hand. "You must be Sam." she smiled.

"I am." Sam shook her hand and smiled. She liked Abbi so far.

"I've heard a lot about you." Abbi said as the girls sat down.

"Oh, no." Sam put her head in her hands jokingly.

"Only good stuff." Smiled Abbi. "But I have one question. What's this about you, Quinn and Brian playing a joke on Ross?" She asked, confusedly.

"Oh, boy. They told you that one." groaned Sam. Then she smiled. "It was pretty funny. And, believe it or not, it was _Quinn's_ idea."

"_Quinn?_" She asked incredulously.

"Yup. He decided to do the same thing that He and I did to Witch, his brother's horse. Only, Tank wasn't that good looking. So, Brian, being friends with Ross, went with Ross on a different horse over here, while Quinn and I dressed up Tank, with Christmas colors, about three different colors. White, red and green. Then, we took the cheapest saddle that we could find, and put that in place of Tank's regular saddle, but first we added Christmas stuff, and hid his real saddle, so he couldn't switch. When he got back, and had to use that, it was hilarious. And then for a Christmas present from the three of us, we gave him back his saddle, and pulled out Tank's ribbons. He thought it was kinda funny, and we even got him to say 'Dang you three!'. "Sam smiled and laughed, just as Ross came up behind her. When she gave him a sweet smile, he groaned, smiled and headed off the other way.

"Wow. Should I trust the three of you?" Abbi smiled.

"Yeah, just don't annoy us. We always get even." Sam warned jokingly. "Did you hear what we did to Jake?" she asked

"Yeah, I did." Said Abbi with a grin.

"Where is that guy, anyway?" asked Sam, her smile fading. She had noticed that he wasn't there when she had come in, but hadn't had time to give it a thought until now.

"Umm, he said he'd have to be late, 'cause he wanted to pick someone up." Sam very nearly missed the nervousness in Nate's voice.

"Prob'ly Darrel."Sam guessed, and no one corrected her, but the arrival of Jen distracted her from seeing them all exchange a glance.

"Hey, Jen!" she called, as she walked quickly but calmly toward Jen and her mare, Silk Stockings, in case she lived up to her nickname, Silly.

"Hey, Sam!" Jen replied as Jack took her reigns from her. She threw her arms around Sam.

"I missed you!" said Sam. "Because it's been so long!" she finished sarcastically.

"Uhh, it's only been two days." Said Brian as he came up behind Sam.

"Brian!" Jen smiled at her boyfriend of a year and a half. They had been doing well with a long distance relationship, and Sam knew that the transition into a regular relationship would be easy. She left them to catch up with each other, and went to talk to Abbi, until a blue pickup pulled into the drive, and Sam recognized the face in the cab, and realized it was be Jake. She got up and ran to the driveway.

"Jake!" She yelled excitedly as he got out. He merely waved a hand toward her and went to the other side of the cab and opened the door. Sam hadn't noticed the passenger in the shotgun seat.

She was tall, curvy and slim with long red hair, with clear green eyes that Sam could see from her position several feet away. She had light freckles spattered across her nose, that on anyone else would have looked childish, but they did nothing but flatter her. She wore a skimpy mock cowgirl shirt with a small skirt that ended six inches above her knees. On her feet were boots that matched the designs in the shirt, and her headband matched the shirt as well. One look, and Sam knew that she hadn't run into a cowgirl. She was way too fancy, and all her clothes were brand new. Her legs were tanned, like she'd been wearing shorts, not her favorite pair of wranglers.

"Sam, I want you to meet Morgan Little." Jake took the girl's hand and held it up. "She's my fiancée. The hand that he held up had a diamond ring on it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**NOTE: Hi! Last time, I forgot a disclaimer. So, because I am not Terry Farley, PS doesn't belong to me :( But oh, well. Because, Abbi Lee, Morgan, Cam, Jack, and anyone else you don't recognize, belongs to me, Dixie Lee. So there you go.**

**I also know that there was a © problem on PS before, so I'm just saying, see my profile. I'm not intentionally copying. I have a note on it there. **

**Enjoy!**

"Your fiancée?!!" Sam was shocked. No one had even mentioned that Jake had a girlfriend. But a lot about him had changed. He was built now, not just strong looking. He was even taller, and his hair was military short.

"I'm Sam." She said, faking being nice. "It's nice to meet you."She turned abruptly back to the bonfire, and upon meeting up with Cam, she demanded,

"Did you know?!" Cam did not have to ask what she meant.

"No. He's been in the Army. That's why his hair is so dang short."

"I was wondering about that." they got in line for food. "I thought that he'd gotten out a while ago.

"Yeah. He mentioned her to me last summer, but I didn't think anything of it. She 's the sister of his friend." Cam explained, picking up a piece of steak. Sam copied her.

"I didn't know that Darrel had a sister."

"Not Darrel. Mike Little. They met in the service. They're both Privates from Nevada. His family owns a chain of moderately well known hotels in Las Vegas. They're well off. Mike's actually okay, he's pretty nice. She commented.

"So, she's not exactly a ranch girl, huh?" But it was more of a statement than a question.

"No, she's not. She doesn't even know how to ride a horse, I think."

"Wow. So, what, he's not going to ranch?" Sam was beyond shocked.

"I don't know." was all that Cam said.

"He's _always_ been one of the only ones in his family that ever showed any interest in ranching at all. All the ranching genes got, like, transferred to his blood."

Cam laughed shortly. "Yeah." They both sat down on a bench around the fire with their plates and drinks.

"So, what does she see in him anyway. I mean, he's not exactly her type, and I thought he wasn't into rich girls." Sam took a very unladylike gulp of soda. "I mean, look at what happened with Rachel Slocum." she spoke of a week where the rich girl had gotten him under her spell, and had nearly succeeded in dating him. But by Friday, he was so fed up with her cattiness, that he publicly dumped her, which was surprising for such a quiet person. But Sam had heard him telling Pepper later that he was done with "rich girls".

"I know. She's a big surprise to all of us. Mom and dad didn't think he was serious. He hasn't been around much, and not really in our lives. I didn't even know about her until last Christmas, but I didn't think that he was serious."

"Wow. Has he even been home at all?" asked Sam, then she ate some of her taco while Cam answered.

"Only for a grand total of three weeks. I didn't know he was dating her until I got home from school."

"Wow." Sam fell silent as she ate. It wasn't like Jake, to be this secretive. Quiet, sure, but not secretive. He'd never kept that far away from his family for that long, and in that way, especially not his mom. Sam knew she'd have pried every detail possible from him.

"Have you met her?" asked Sam.

"No, I'd have told you." She said with only the slightest hint of sharpness.

"Right. Sorry." Sam jumped when Maxine called them to get dessert. Cam excused herself to race her brothers to the food. Sam smiled, knowing that the Ely's would save some for her, but since Cam was their sister, even adopted, they would consider everything with her fair game.

Brian, closely followed by Jen, Nate and Abbi were the first ones through, and each couple went off into the darkness, so Sam stood up and began to head to the table, planning to throw out her plate on the way.

"Sam." The voice made her turn. There he was, six foot three with hair so black it had a bluish tint to it, with his deep brown, "mustang eyes". She wondered if Morgan had ever compared them to that. But now, they were only hurt, annoyed and confused.

"Jake." She said with no emotion. She felt cut out of his life. He hadn't bothered to answer any of her phone calls or e-mails. The ones that he had were few and far between with no details. Their friendship had simply disintegrated.

"No need to sound hostile, jeez, Samantha." Sam noted the use of her full name. He sounded defensive and annoyed, not playful like he had been when he used her full name in the past. "I just came over to better introduce Morgan. You kind of rushed off." His tone was accusatory and confused, but it had a slight hurt in it. So, she turned and faced the Red head.

"I'm Sam Forster. Jake's uh, old best friend." she smiled, honestly trying to be nice.

"Really? I don't remember Jakey telling me about a girl best friend. Only Mike, my brother." She had tried successfully to be insulting, and Jake ignored it, then walked away. "I mean, I think he mentioned you, but only to say how annoying you were, or compare you to something that he said was not quite as annoying as you." She smirked.

"_Jakey_?" asked Sam incredulously. She snorted condescendingly, and asked, "where the heck did you get that?"

"What do you mean?" Morgan was insulted and annoyed.

"Well, -" Sam was cut off by the return of Jake, who balanced three plates of dessert foods. He handed one to Sam, and she was reminded of the new year's bonfire so many years before. He handed the other to Morgan, and she wrapped her free arm around his waist and kissed him on the cheek. Sam would have puked, if it weren't for the annoyed look on "Jakey's" face, and the fact that his stance was incredibly stiff, so she merely smirked and headed off to join Jen, Sarah, Cam and Abbi at the fire. Cam and Brian were teasing Pepper about his new girlfriend, Lia, who had hair to match his and Morgan's, but was much prettier than the latter. She had come in 2nd to Sam's grandmother at the county fair with cooking, and Pepper had met her there.

Sam listened at first, but didn't actually join in, which was odd for her, but she was too engrossed in Jake and Morgan, who was now feeding Jake bits of Cherry Pie.

'How could he?' Sam asked herself. But a voice that sounded an awful lot like Morgan's said _'You never dated him. He's free to date anyone he wants.' _Suddenly, Sam could not finish her dessert. She got up and walked over to Ross and Jack, and offered it to them, and they eagerly took it. She then went to check on Rodeo.

"Hey, boy." She murmured once she had located him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her head in his shoulder. "Is this my fault? I don't even know if we're friends, anymore Rodeo. What did I do?" Rodeo didn't answer, but pressed his jaw against her back, as if he were hugging her.

Little did she know, that Jake had followed her silently, and had planned on talking to her. But now, he was at a loss of what to say. He knew it wasn't her fault, but he didn't know if he was her best friend anymore. She didn't know, but he'd heard Morgan claim he never mentioned her except that she was annoying. He didn't know if that was true or not, but he felt guilty for not defending Sam now. As for what she did, it was nothing. He turned and walked away, as his brothers pulled out their drums and guitars, and began to play.

Three hours later, Jen had kissed Brian good-bye, and was hugging Sam. "We'll go on a ride tomorrow, okay?" Sam nodded, knowing that Jen understood.

"Yeah." She said good-bye to all the Ely boys except Jake. Then she hugged Maxine and Luke, and Jack handed her Rodeo's reigns.

"Thanks," She said. She felt guilty that she wasn't taking care of her own horse, but she knew that that was Jack's way of getting out of the 'crowd' earlier than anyone else. She mounted up, and she and Jack brought up the rear of her dad, Ross and Pepper. Jack seemed to know what she was feeling, and gave her an understanding smile.

When they got back to the ranch, Sam dismounted and grabbed Rodeo's reins, and then her dad handed her his reins from Duke, explaining that he had to get inside and help Brynna put the kids to bed. So Sam headed toward the barn, followed closely by the geldings. She met Ross and Pepper on the way out, and they told her good night, having already untacked and turned out Jeep and Tank. She entered the barn and came upon Jack brushing down the buckskin. Sam put Rodeo in a stall and shut the door enough so that the horse couldn't escape. Then, she removed Duke's bridle, and slipped on his halter and put him on cross ties. Then, she went back for Rodeo and did the same. She removed his saddle and began to brush him, then leaned her head against his shoulder.

Everyone in the barn, animal and human jumped when "Amarillo Sky" suddenly played the chorus. Embarrassedly, Jack pulled a cell phone out of his chest pocket and answered it.

"Hello? Oh, hi. No, it's not a bad time." He sounded happy to hear from whoever it was. Sam went on to take Duke's saddle off and put his and Rodeo's in the tack room, trying to give Jack some privacy. After about five minutes, she heard him say goodbye and hang up. She came out and he spoke.

"Can you go grab two cribbing collars for Duke and Bucky?"

"Yeah." She turned back and flipped on the light this time to locate them. When she came out, she handed the smaller one to him, then put the larger one on Duke, and put him out. Then she turned her attention to Rodeo, brushing him and bonding with him. Finally, she and Jack were both done, and she followed him to the pasture to turn out the horses.

"Night." She said as she turned to the house.

"Night." He turned to the bunkhouse, closely followed by Blaze and Emily, their new dog.

When Sam got to the porch, she looked at the yard. Even though it brought some problems, like the one with Jake, it was incredibly good to be home.

**So, It's a little bit short, sorry. **

**DL**


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: Thanks for all the reviews. It really gets me excited. :)**

**Disclaimer PS characters:Sam, Jake The Ely's(except Cam and Sarah) the Forsters(except Austin, Karen and unknown), Kenworthy's, belong to Terri Farley**

**Morgan, Lia, Abbi Lee, Jack, Austin, Karen, Unknown baby, Cam, Sarah, Emily the dog, Rodeo, Bucky, and anyone you do not recognize is mine.**

**Also, if you think I 'm copying, _please _let me know. I am really trying not to!**

**Chapter 3**

The next morning, at 6:00 am, Sam's alarm clock went off loudly, waking her instantly. Sitting up, she put her hand on it to silence it, hoping it hadn't woken any one else in the family.

She threw back the covers and got out of her bed. Grabbing a clean pair of jeans, she pulled them on, and an army green tank top. She swept her auburn hair up into a ponytail, without bothering to look in the mirror. With her boots in one hand, she slipped out of her room and down the stairs into the kitchen, where her Gram was seated at the table with a mug of coffee in her hand.

"Morning, Sam. You're up early." She quietly commented.

"Yeah, as soon as my chores are done, I'm going to meet Jen." She yawned, completing the sentence. Gram smiled, and put two pancakes on a plate with a fork and butter.

"Thanks." Sam sat down and ate them dry, swallowing water with it.

Once she was done, she started to pull on her boots.

"Anything you want me to do?" She asked.

"Yes, if you could pick eggs, and clean out Rodeo and Tempest's stalls, I think."

"Okay. Anything else?" She stood, sincerely hoping not.

"No, you go on." Gram began to rinse her and Sam's dishes. Sam moved to the door, grabbing a light button down shirt, and her hat.

"Sam." Gram handed her her phone from the counter where she had put it the night before to charge.

"Oh, thanks." She headed out the door, making sure it didn't slam. She stooped and picked up the wire basket that was used to carry the eggs.

She bounded off the porch, and across the yard as quietly as she could. Even though she hated getting up in the morning, she loved the stillness of the cool morning air. She noticed that Blaze and Emily were on the porch of the bunkhouse, showing that someone was up, or had been up, but she didn't stop to find out who.

She entered the chicken coop, and quickly picked all the eggs, and exited. She walked across the yard, and place the basket next to the door, and knocked so that Gram would know that they were there.

When she got to the barn, she grabbed one of the wheelbarrows, a pitchfork, and headed to Tempest's stall. She parked the wheelbarrow, and entered the stall, and came face to face with Jack.

"Oh!" they said at the same time, and quickly stepped back.

"I didn't hear you." Said Sam, in an apologetic way, and Jack nodded in agreement. "You don't have to clean her stall. I'll do it." she said.

"No, it's okay, I got it."He responded in a way that would have finalized a conversation.

"You sure? She's my responsibility when I'm home." She showed her Forster stubborn streak.

He nodded again.

"But, I really think that I should do this. My dad will be mad if I'm here, and I don't do my chores." Jack sighed, then rolled his eyes.

"I've already started." he half heartedly protested.

"So let me finish it." She said with a confident smile, but thinking how odd it was that she was showing her extreme stubbornness with someone she hardly knew at all.

"No." he smiled and turned back to his work.

"Yes." She began to pick the stall as well.

He sighed.

"Go do Rodeo's stall."

"Fine!" She said, feigning being annoyed. She left, taking the wheelbarrow and pitchfork with her. She picked his stall in half the time, and met Jack at the manure pile where they were dumping the wheelbarrows.

"See, I could have done it and saved you a trip out here." She said in a smart alack way. He just shook his head.

"But you can go ride, that much sooner." he said smirked.

"How did you know?" She asked incredulously.

"Cody said you never get up early unless it's to ride."

"Oh. Right. Well, thanks, but _don't do my chores again unless you want to get me in trouble."_

He nodded, and she headed for the barn, where she quickly tacked up Rodeo.

She led him out of the barn, mounted, and pulled out her cell phone. The time read 7:00.

She called Jen, who picked up after two rings.

"Hello?"

"Hi, you ready?" she asked

"Yeah. I'll meet you by War Drum Flats, say twenty minutes."

"Kay, bye." She snapped the phone shut, and walked Rodeo across the bridge, across the road and onto the other side, where she broke into a lope.

"Oh, God, it's good to be back in the saddle!" She said aloud for no one in particular. She laughed, and headed Rodeo for War Drum Flats.

Fifteen minutes later, she saw a rider headed in the opposite direction. It was definitely Jen, riding Silly, her palomino mare.

"Hey, Girlfriend!" She called, and Rodeo spooked slightly, but under Sam's capable hands, he quickly quieted.

"Sorry." Jen whispered when she got close. They let Rodeo and Silly sniff noses from as far away as they could be. When they didn't react, the girls moved them forward.

"Who's this?" asked Jen when the girls had the horses saddled.

"Rodeo. I outgrew Ace."

"Wow. So, who's that new guy?" Jen looked questioningly at Sam.

"Jack. A new ranch hand. He's doing Dallas' physical work. Dal's still our foreman, but Jack does his horseback work."

"Oh. And who's Morgan?"

"Jake's fiancée."

"WHAT??!!" Jen's yell of shock spooked the horses, and they both began to run.

"Whoa, boy!" Sam said loud enough for Rodeo to hear her over the eight thundering hooves. She flexed her hand on her reigns keeping the contact with his mouth, and deepening her seat. She sat up and opened her chest. Eventually, the gelding slowed down, and Sam was able to catch her breath.

"Oh, my gosh. I am _so _sorry_. _I didn't think. I guess I've been away from horses for too long. That really shocked me. But I still don't know what made me yell like that. Near Silly and a new horse."

"It's okay. I probably would have done the same thing. But yeah, I almost did when Jake said fiancée."

"No, you wouldn't have yelled. You have some sixth sense that helps you with horses. Like the man in question." She admitted grudgingly.

"Yeah, but still. Morgan is snobby, rich, and by no means a ranch girl. I don't know the difference between her and Rachel Slocum."

"Agreed."

"Didn't Brian tell you anything about her?"

"Well, we were a little busy catching up." Jen explained sheepishly.

"I'm gonna guess that the 'catching up' had nothing to do with words." Sam raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. You know, words don't really cut it with the hottest Ely." Jen waggled her eyebrows.

"TMI Jen!" Sam laughed.

"Sorry. Wanna gallop?" She asked.

"No, not with Rodeo. I'd rather trot, and get to know him better if I can. Roundup's coming soon, and I want to be able to be comfortable now, and gallop after. But if you want to, I won't mind."

"Absolutely not. We came here to hang out together." Jen grinned. "Let's just walk and talk. Or let the horses do the walking, and we'll do the talking." Sam laughed.

Just then, a horse and rider appeared on the horizon, a black horse, and what looked like a female rider. As the pair drew closer, Sam recognized Cam on Warlock. Warlock was Chocolate Chip and Witch's little sister, with the disposition and conformation as Witch, hence her name.

Sam and Jen raised their hands in unison as a greeting, and Cam replied in the same manner.

When she got as close as she could while maintaining a safe distance from the other two horses, she called out a greeting.

"Hi. I figured I might find you two here."

"You figured right." Said Jen with a smile. Cam and Jen and Sam had been friends since their junior year of high school, when Cam and her younger sister had been adopted by the Elys.

"So, what's new with you two?" Cam asked, as she moved to have Warlock fall into step with Silly and Rodeo, a few feet away.

"Discussing Jake." answered Sam.

"And who he brought home with him." finished Cam.

"Yep." Agreed Jen. They all nodded and kept their eyes on the horizon, while swaying with their mounts movements. Simultaneously, they burst out laughing, knowing that they looked like the cowboys in the movies.

"Yeah, they came into the house after words, and Morgan was nice to mom, but was pretty rude to Sarah and me." She said tensely. Sam and Jen knew that she could have cared less as to how Morgan treated her, but she'd crossed the line when she was rude to Sarah, of whom Cam was very protective.

"Oops. Mistake on her part." comented Jen, knowing that it wasn't just in Cam's hands now, but all of the Ely children, who were all pretty protective of Sarah, especially Cam.

"Uh-huh." Cam nodded, her jaw locked.

"Okay, calm down Cam." Sam said nervously. "Just don't track her down. Okay?" Sam knew that like the Ely boys, she was known for settling things with her fists, even though her adoptive parents didn't approve.

"Sorry. Mom kind of picked up on it, when she, Morgan and I and Sarah were in the same room, but Dad _definitely _picked up on it."

"Wow. But what could you guys do or say?" asked Jen.

"Nothing. But the guys were probably wishing they could hit girls. At least I can." Cam grinned.

"What did she say?" Sam was highly interested.

"Let me give you a play by play."

_Flashback_

"Come on in, Morgan. Welcome to Jake's house." Maxine smiled.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ely. It's so nice to meet you."

"Please, call me Maxine."

"Okay, Maxine."

"This is the Kitchen/Dining room. You'll have a place here soon, probably."

"I hope so."

Maxine led her into the living room.

"Wow. This is a nice place. It must be cozy during the winter."

"Yes, it is Morgan. Have a seat. Anywhere you like. Don't let the boys or girls bother you."

"Thank you. Jake, come sit with me." they Sat on the love seat.

"So, Morgan, tell us about yourself. Jake's hardly said anything, not that he ever does." joked Nate.

"Well, I have a brother Michael, or Mike, who was in the service with Jake, and introduced me to him. And my parents own the 'Little Bit of Home Suites chain of hotels.' I don't know if you know of them."

"I do." Nate spoke up. "There's some in Reno."

"Yes. And about two years ago, Mike introduced me to Jake, when they were off duty one night, where I was working as a waitress. And I didn't really thing anything of it, but I knew that he was the best looking boy that I'd ever met. A few nights later when they were still on leave, Jake stopped in a few hours ahead of opening, and we stayed and talked until Mike came and found us. So, I gave Jake my number, and He gave me his. I didn't expect to hear from him, because I knew that he was on the go with the Army. So I was really surprised and thrilled when I got a letter. He said that Mike had given him my address, and he couldn't call, so he'd write. Through our letters, we grew on each other from getting to know each other to like to love. And when he came back and got a desk job in Reno, we started dating. So, the rest as they say, is history."

"Wow. So, what do you do now?" Asked Sarah.

"Well, I'm a waitress at a... a restaurant in Reno at night, to pay for school, and I'm attending Stanford, majoring in management and hospitality, and I have a job at my parents hotel chain."

"Interesting. So, you plan to take over the family business?" Asked Cam.

"Kind of."

"Well. I know you all had desert at the party, but how about some coffee and coffee cake. Caffeine free of course."

Everyone nodded. Once Luke and Maxine went into the kitchen, Morgan spoke up.

"So, what do you all do? Jake didn't tell me much."

"Well, I'm Nate, and I work in a sports store in Reno, Backpacker Stop."

"I'm Adam, and I just work as a fire Marshall in Darton County."

"I'm Brian, and I work part time at Phil's Fill Up."

"Phil's Fill Up?" Morgan raised her eyebrows, smirking.

"Yeah, Morg, it's the gas station and feed store." Explained Jake.

"Oh. Interesting name."

"Yeah. Well, I'm Quinn, and I just work here on the ranch."

"Yeah! And he's the quiet one. Second only to Jake!" hooted Brian, causing Quinn to jump on him, and the two boys to start wrestling. Sarah smacked Brian with a pillow when he came her way, and then Nate smacked her with his own pillow. Morgan and Cam ducked out of the way as it quickly became a free for all.

"Are they always like this?" Morgan asked in a bored and condescending way.

"Yup. But sometimes I'll join in. Like now!" She dove into the wrestling, and succeeded in pulling Adam off of Brian.

"Weakling!" she taunted, and he tackled her. Finally when they were done, she whispered in his ear and he nodded and grinned. They both got up together and tackled Jake, pulling him down into the mess.

"Boys! Stop!" Maxine and Luke had come back into the living room.

"And girls!" protested Adam, who was still sore about being beat by Cam.

"Yes, but you guys don't hit girls."

"What girls!?" Said Brian innocently.

"Brian that's enough. Clean this up all of you! You too Jake!"

Groaning and grumbling, the Ely children picked up the pillows and anything that had gotten knocked over, including a table.

"Mom learned early not to keep anything breakable in this room." joked Cam.

"Yes. But I thought that you kids would be more responsible when we have company. Morgan I'm so sorry you had to see that. They're sometimes quite uncivilized."

"We're not kids!" protested Adam.

"Oh, really? You were doing a very good impression of it. Your father and I are going to bed. We better not hear any noise coming from down here that would suggest that you're fighting."

"Ooh, mom going to bed with dad!?" jeered Nate.

"NATHAN DANIEL ELY!" Maxine smacked Nate upside the head, fury on her face.

"Sorry mom. I couldn't resist." apologized Nate sincerely.

"Learn to." She snapped, she and Luke turned and left the room

"Smooth." Smirked Cam.

"Shut up Camile!"

"Your real name is _Camile_?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah. But I go by Cam." she said with slight force. "anyway, I just graduated with a degree in agriculture, like what Jake has. I work here on the ranch."

"Sarah, I'm in college, majoring in Vet Sciences. I'll help Jen when she opens her own practice."

"Who's Jen?"

"Brian's girlfriend and Cam's best friend." Sarah explained.

"I see. How are you going to open a practice? Aren't there already vets in the area? Besides, they're really expensive. It's probably not a good idea. If you want real advice, go into helping another vet. Jen probably hasn't told you how long it's going to take, and how much money it's going to take, and how much time it's going to take to earn even half that back. I'd go with another vet." Morgan finished in a very snobby way.

"It's not about the money or time. Besides Jen and Sarah will do fine, because they're locals, and people know and trust them and their families." retorted Cam.

"I'm just saying, that it's not really practical. And ranch families really can't afford to support an adult woman, until she can pay them back."

"She will pay them back!" protested Brian. "Jen and Sarah will give us reduced rates when they do work over here, and in the mean time, Sarah will be working on the ranch."

"Hmm." Morgan didn't argue, but everyone could tell that she disagreed strongly.

"What do you do, Morgan?" Sarah daringly asked.

"I manage one of my parent's hotels."

"What are you and Jake going to do when you get married?" Sarah pressed.

"Same thing. My parents will probably give Jakey a job."

"What about ranching!?" Sarah sounded shocked. "Jake's always been into ranching and horses!"

"What about it? It's not a very rewarding job. Slave all day, hardly pay any bills, the whole thing is very unstable. It depends on how much grass-"

"Hay."

"Whatever. It depends on how much grass is grown, the weather, the weight of the cows, etcetera. It's just a bad idea. So, I won't do it."

"What about Jake?" Sarah feigned confusion.

"He agrees." She said shortly, and Jake looked down at his lap.

"Wow. Never thought I'd see the day when Jake gave up ranching." Quinn raised his eyebrows.

"Morgan's right. It's too unstable."

Everyone raised their eyebrows at this comment.

"Well, I should go to bed, I have to get up early." Quinn began quietly.

"That too. You don't have much of a life outside of the ranch. Early to bed, up really early..."

"Not every day. Friday nights are fun. You and Jake come next Friday night, here, around eight." Brian spoke up. "But now, it's later, and Quinn and I have to get chores done tomorrow, real early. It was nice to meet you, Morgan." He finished abruptly. Quinn nodded in agreement, and the two left."

"Yeah, I told Jen that I'd meet her and Sam at War Drum Flats tomorrow morning, so good night."

"Sam? Did I meet her?" Morgan faked.

"Yeah, she and Jen are my best friends. She was also Jakes best friend."

"He never mentioned her."

"Well, I guess you'll have to meet her later, and get the whole story. Good Night!"

_End Flashback_

"Woah.." Jen said. "What does she mean, Veterinary school isn't a good idea?"

"She's just being rude."

"What about Jake not ranching?" that was all that Sam could think of.

"I know. And she completely talked him into it."

"He either really likes this girl, or she has complete control over him."

"I think she didn't give him an option. She's changed him, and not for the better. He didn't even stop her _once. _Not even when she was insulting Sarah.. No offense, Jen, but he really isn't going to defend you ever."

"I know. None taken." Jen smiled briefly. "I never liked Jake's choice in girls, but now I downright hate it. More than Rachel. I don't give a crap if Morgan insults me, I don't have to see her much. But Sarah, she's had enough rough times." Jen spoke of the tough time that Sarah had been through in school, as almost a social outcast, because she wasn't from Darton, and was very pretty. More so than Daisy, the 'queen' of Darton High, ever since Rachel Slocum had left. Daisy had made sure that she'd had a rough time, so that she wasn't popular, even if she was only a freshman. Once Daisy left, her reputation had taken a long time to restore. Now the Ely family was quick to defend her all the time.

"So, why is Jake marrying her?" Sam was still surprised.

"No clue."

"I always said he wasn't right in the head." Jen joked.

"He was never that bad." Sam and Cam said at the same time.

"Oh, well. Jake said to tell you Sam that he's comin' over later to talk to your dad." Cam told Sam.

"I assume he's bringing the queen of bit-"

"Yeah." Cam cut her off.

"Great that means that I'd better go."

"By the way, what was Brian thinking, inviting them on Friday night? That's our time. We don't want no city slickers" Jen faked a drawl.

"I don't know. But Sam, bring Pepper, Ross and Jack."

"Will do. But we'll probably see each other before then." Sam finished, then waved as she rode off.

**So, there you go. Not my best, but I was working on improv and it was kind of a filler chap.**

**Again, please pm me if you think that I'm copying anyone.**

**Dixie.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, all! Sorry so long since the last ud! I've been _soo_ busy with school, track, church stuff, extra curricular junk, etc. I haven't had time to write at _all_. The last time I wrote was the other night, a new PS story. Remember Gabe? If anyone can give me some facts, please pm me. **

**Anywho, back to this. Usual copyrights apply. Sorry, still trying _not _to copy. Please tell me if you think I am. I'm forcing myself to write this because it bugs me when people don't update, and that definitely includes me. So, I'm just going to write a crappy beginning, and hope that it goes well from there, 'cause it tends to do that sometimes. If not, it's going to be a short chapter, another thing that bugs me. DL**

Sam walked Rodeo across the bridge into the yard, where Brynna was climbing into the BLM truck. Sam dismounted Rodeo and led him out of the way so that he wouldn't spook with her on him. She waved as Brynna drove out of the yard. When Brynna had returned the wave, she headed into the barn.

"Hi, Pepper." she greeted the redheaded cowboy as he saddled Jeep, the rat-tailed appaloosa.

"Hi, Sam." He replied and she noticed that Jack looked up and nodded to acknowledge her arrival. She returned the gesture and waved her hand at Ross, who did the same. She cross tied Rodeo and began to untack him as the cowboys led their mounts into the yard and mounted up and rode out.

"Good boy, Rody." She decided that Rody would be his nickname.

"Who's Rody?" a familiar voice asked. Sam spun around.

"Jake!" She almost yelled. "Don't sneak up on me like that. You'll scare me or Rody."

"Well, that answers my question. Is this your new ride?" Sam frowned at the odd terminology for 'mount'. That wasn't like Jake.

"Yes, Rodeo is my new _horse_." She emphasized.

"You outgrew Ace?" This was turning into quite the conversation for Jake.

"Duh. Hi, Morgan." She acknowledged the girl behind Jake only when h Jake looked pointedly to the side with his eyes, and purely out of western courtesy.

The girl nodded briefly, clearly not familiar with the Nevadan 'courtesy' rules. Sam refrained from snubbing the girl or rolling her eyes at her.

"Yes. I outgrew Ace. Dad gave me Rody.." She said as if she were explaining it to a two year old.

"Chill, Brat." He made calming motions with his hands.

"Samantha." She corrected him, letting her face close of emotion.

Unclipping the cross ties, she led him brusquely past Jake and Morgan, who backed up quickly, clearly scared and disgusted. Once she had put him in his stall, she put everything away, and stalked out of the barn, leaving Jake and Morgan behind.

Once out of the barn, she leaned against it. She had never told Jake to stop calling her 'Brat', and then actually enforced it. She had shocked herself when she told him to stop. But there was no going back now.

She stood straight as the two walked out.

"I'm going to bring Morgan back home, then come find your dad." Jake said as they got into the truck.

She merely nodded, and turned back to the barn. Movement caught her eye, and she spun. It was Jack, leading Bucky.

"I thought you rode out already." She said, confused.

"Wyatt asked me to come back." Sam nodded, and he continued. "I heard you two, arguing."

Sam blushed.

"Did you... go out with him?" Jack asked cautiously.

"No. We were just really good friends. And we lost touch over the years, and he's acting we can just pick up, even though there's Morgan in between us. And he knows she clearly doesn't like me or his family." Sam took a deep breath. She didn't mean to say all of that.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." He nodded. "Happened to me."

"I'm sorry." Sam wasn't sure what to say.

"Thanks. I don't know what will happen with you guys, but she got over him, and now we're not friends. I hope that doesn't happen to you." He looked away like he'd said too much.

"thanks." Sam murmured. "So, what did my dad send you back for?"

"Tell Jake what to do." He was back to his five word and under sentences.

"Right. I have to go inside. But, um, before I forget, we're goin' out Friday night, 'round eight. Me, Jen, Cam, Pepper, Lia, Ross maybe, Quinn, Brian, Abbi, Nate."

"Maybe. See what I gotta do. Jake gonna be there?" For someone who didn't speak a lot, he sure could show he wasn't emotionless easily.

"I don't know. Now that he and Morgan are here, It'd be kinda rude to not invite them. But Morgan won't necessarily want'a come."

"I'll think about it 'n get back to ya." A southern drawl came out with his words.

"Kay. I gotta go now." She smiled as she walked toward the house. He was really nice, and showed he cared without making a big deal out of it. She liked that.

Friday night came around, and Jack had said yes. Sam was excited, though she didn't really know why. Even the fact that Jake and Morgan would be there didn't help.

"Bye!" She called softly to her family, trying not to wake her siblings.

She grabbed her keys, bag and a light jacket, then headed out the door.

Once out the door, she walked to the truck, climbed in, started it and turned on the radio.

"_She's country!_

_From her cowboy boots _

_To her downhome roots_

_Nothin' but country!_

_From the songs she plays_

_To the prayers she prays_

_Yeah, she's nothin' but country!" _Sam sang along so loudly to it while she waited for the cowboys that she didn't notice Jack slip into the front seat next to her, until he was already there.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, clearly startled. "You scared me!" She said jokingly accusatory.

"Sorry. You have a nice voice." He said quietly.

"Ha! Thanks, but you're the only one who thinks so other than Ace."

"Yeah, but-" He was quiet as the back door opened and Pepper, Lia and Ross climbed in. '_thank God it's a crew cab' _thought Sam. She would have just enough room for Jen, if Jack slid over.

"_Hey, girl what's your name?_

_So loud in here I can't hear a thing! (What?)_

_But I sure do like your style,_

_With your blue jeans and white tank top_

_Hey girl that look drives me wild,_

_Then it's Hey now here we go,_

_DJ don't ya play nothing slow_

_Keep those girls out on the floor,_

_Gotta make 'em come back for more_

_Been here since the sun went down,_

_Be here till it comes back around_

_Worked all week, it's time to play, _

_Gonna get a little bit _

_Sideways!"_

The whole truck sang the song until they reached Harmony Ranch. Jen ran out and climbed in the front. She moved Jack over to the middle, which would make it hard for Sam to shift gears, but she didn't mind. They headed for the new club in Darton, all getting excited and louder except for Jack and Ross.

"Did Jake say if Morgan's gonna be there?" Jen's question brought silence to the whole cab. For a minute, the only sound was the truck as it went down the road.

"I think he is." Lia said cautiously. The rest of the ride was much quieter after that.

When they pulled into a parking lot, Sam locked the doors.

"Who's DD?" She asked. "Before anyone gets out." Silence followed.

"I will." She and Jack volunteered at the same time.

"Okay. We'll both do it. Someone may need to drive the Ely's home." She smirked, knowing that the three middle Ely boys could get rowdy sometimes. She unlocked the doors and they all piled out. Quinn's green Chevy Tahoe pulled in just as they were getting out. Quinn and Brian had jacked it up, and put Mud Tires on it.

Out of it fell Brian, Nate, Abbi, Cam and Quinn, Jake and Morgan. The group from River bend and Harmony fell silent when Morgan climbed daintily out last, with help from Jake.

"Hey, Samily!" yelled Brian, clearly excited to see her.

"Hey, Bri Bri!" Sam teased. She didn't really care what he called her, but Bri Bri annoyed him.

"What ever." He turned his back mockingly

"Hey Guys!" Jen addressed them all as she came around the front of the truck. She walked quickly to Brian, and kissed him on lips.

"Woah! PDA alert!" Cam shouted jokingly.

"Shut up, Cam! They're cute!" joked Sam

Still kissing Brian, Jen used her leg, and kicked out at them, making everyone laugh.

As they headed into the Club, everyone showed excitement. They sat down at the nearest booth that would hold them all. Even though the tension with Morgan did put a damper on the evening, Sam tried not to let it bother her. Morgan made Jake slow dance, which Sam thought was weird, because they all knew that he would never have done it with any other girl.

When the clock struck one, they agreed to leave, and Sam took the keys from Brian, and got into his car to drive the Elys to their house. Jack took the keys and agreed to drop Jen off at home, everyone else at River Bend, and then go to Three Ponies and drive Sam home.

So, at 2:30, she crept into the house, and crawled into bed, knowing that 6: 00 would come early.


	5. Chapter 5

I know that this part is just an author's note, but I just had to say this:

A few notes:

_**Umm... I have a poll about this story on my prof. CHECK IT OUT!!! I'll be waiting!!**_

Also:

I know that I haven't UD'd lately, but I was so busy and so blocked. I had no idea what to write. This will probably end up being SAKE. I don't want it to be, cuz I am so in love with Jack. So... There will Prob. Be an alternate ending. He looks like my BF. (A little)

I already have a sequel started. And a prequel. Hehe. I didn't mean to. But I felt that I had to write this one.

CH. 4 was crap. I know that. It was a filler. I'm sorry. I had to put something down, and there was no way I could get out of it. I've never been to a club. For one thing, I'm not old enough. Soo... I just had to. Please understand.

I realize that Brynna was about 7 mos Pregnant, but I'm bumping her up to 8 and Lia is Pepper's wife. I think I mistakingly put her as his GF. so...

Also, I think that I had Sam scheduled to work on Monday, but I need her to go on round up, so she's starting in three weeks.

CH 5

Saturday came way too early for Sam's taste. She was woken by a knock on her bedroom door, that preceded Gram into her room.

"Samantha!" jolted her up.

"Huh!" She was fully awake now.

"It's six thirty! How late were you out last night?" Gram looked sternly at Sam.

"Uhh, four hours ago, I got home." She said, wincing apologetically at Gram.

"Two thirty?!"Gram looked shocked.

"I had to bring home the Ely's, and wait for Jack to pick me up there, cause he had to drop off Jen." Gram sighed.

"Well, I need you downstairs in about a half hour. I suggest you take a shower to wake up. We're starting round up on Monday, and I need your things to pack."

"Okay." Gram left, then called back.

"Do not go back to bed Samantha." Sam groaned, and her legs peddled the blankets off of her self. She was sweating slightly. How had she slept in this heat with blankets? It was beyond her.

Once in the shower, she thought about the previous night.

"_What do you want to drink?" the waitress asked._

"_I'll have a beer." Said Adam_

"_One for each of us." Nate gestured to himself and Abbi._

"_One for me and Ross." Added Pepper_

"_I'll have water." Lia requested._

"_Me too." Sam nodded_

"_Coke, please" Jack said quietly._

_Jen, Brian and Jake said that they were good._

"_I'll have a diet cola." Morgan sounded haughty._

_Sam rolled her eyes and looked around. She hadn't been in the club before, but it was nice. The name was P3, and you walked down the stairs to enter it, where there was a bar, and several surrounding tables, and surrounding those, booths that were along the wall. In one corner, there was a stage, for the band. A country band stood there tonight, tuning up the guitars and testing the mics. _

_Their drinks came, and Nate ordered a side of Popcorn shrimp, fries, mozzarella sticks and dips for each, for the group. They came, and they chatted as a group, Morgan ignoring people._

"_So..." Began Sam. She was trying to reverse her opinion of Morgan, by starting off on a better foot. "When did you meet Jake?" She asked politely. _

" _About three years ago, when he came home for Christmas with Mike, my brother." She replied, but it was as though she didn't want to._

"_Oh." Said Jen._

"_And what made you want to date our bro Jake?" Asked Brian, in a teasing way. "I mean there's not much to go from, but I don't think girls around here ever really liked him."_

"_I know. There aren't many girls worth Jake around here," She began, looking pointedly at Sam, Jen and Cam, "so, he just had to go for something better." She smirked._

"_Morg." Jake said quietly, a request to be nice. She ignored him, and he said nothing more._

_Sam raised her eyebrows. "So... Have you two set a date?" She asked, smiling as though Morgan had not just insulted them._

"_Yes. It's in three months." She said with tight lips._

"_Oh."_

"_We're mostly having just family and our Vegas friends there. And it will be in Vegas." She finished, explaining why no one else had received invitations._

"_Oh. So what will you be doing afterwards?" Asked Cam, though it could have been anyone's question._

"_I don't know what I'll do, but Jake has been offered a position at my parent's hotel, and he took it. So, we'll probably live there. He'll make enough money to support us, so we'll have an apartment in or near the city."_

"_What about ranching?" Asked Jen. Even though she did not get along with Jake, she was definitely against Morgan._

"_What about it?" Morgan snorted condescendingly. "It's so much hard work, and so dirty, and it doesn't amount to anything. Besides, killing cows? Not my idea of good work."_

_At that, everyone at the table stiffened, all of them being ranchers or ranch hands._

_Suddenly, a romantic song came from the stage. Morgan grabbed Jake and jumped up, pulling him to the dance floor._

"_Wow. Who is that guy, and what has he done with Jake?" Cracked Brian, but no one took it as a joke._

"_I have no idea." responded Cam. "That is so not like him. And he defends the stuff that he likes and believes in. And he usually is pretty courteous."_

"_You said it." Said Sam, knowing that Cam had hit all three points._

_Ten minutes later, Jake and Morgan came back, Morgan's arm around Jake's waist, and his arm around her waist._

"_Aww, aren't you two the cute couple." Teased Cam, who was trying to be polite. _

"_Yes. We do make a great couple. Better than anyone else Jake could be with. I mean, at least he picked someone with fashion sense. Seriously, he could have picked someone from _here."

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Challenged Jen, knowing that she had her own unique fashion sense._

"_Well, considering your outfit of black cords, those weird pumps and that awful green sweater, I would hope you know what I mean. If you don't,, you're incredibly stupid. Which I don't doubt." She added in an undertone._

"_Ex_cuse _me?" Asked Brian, who knew that while Jen did not dress in style most of the time, she knew exactly what fashions were in or were not, and she had graduated top of her high school and college. "Did Jake tell you that Jen just graduated _top _of her college class?"_

"_No, I don't think that he thought it needed to be mentioned. "I thought you two had just graduated from the community college. That's not really something to be proud of. It's not hard to achieve." She raised an eyebrow._

"_No. It was from the University of Nevada." Snapped Cam. _

"_Oh. Still. It's not like it's Harvard. Oh, Jake! I love this song." With that she pulled him back onto the dance floor. Brian and Jen moved off to the dance floor, but keeping their distance from the couple that did not go at all._

"_Why doesn't he defend us?" Asked Sam indignantly. "She thinks that we're stupid hicks. When we aren't either of those. I mean, apart from Brian." She joked, and the table chuckled with her._

"_Yeah." Agreed Abbi. "I don't know Jake, but she doesn't seem like his type at all. She's totally a city girl, and he really is not." _

"_Yeah." Slowly, the couples left for the dance floor, until Quinn and Jack and Sam were left, Cam having met a guy on the dance floor._

"_So..." Sam trailed off, unsure of what to say._

"_So what?" joked Quinn. _

"_So what's up with your brother?" Asked Sam_

"_I don't know. After Rachel, he said he was done with the 'princess' type. I thought he was serious. But then, I always thought that he had something wrong with him."_

"_Quinn!" She said laughing. She hit him in a joking way._

"_Ow." he said as though it really hurt._

_Soon, Quinn went up to talk to a friend of his that he had seen._

"_Sorry about Morgan." She apologized to Jack._

"_What're you apologizin' for?" He asked. "I know _you _didn't invite her." He said sympathetically._

"_Thanks." She smiled, and looked into his blue eyes._

"Samantha!" The voice jerked her back to the present. She still remembered the color blue they were, like the clear sky on a summer day.

_Why am I thinking this? _She yelled at her self. _I don't even know him!_

"Samantha! You have 15 minutes to be down here!" Gram warned from down the stairs. So, she cranked off the water, and stepped out of the shower.

At two minutes of seven, she rushed downstairs, hair still damp from her shower, with the pile of clothes that she would need for round up. They were doing it with Harmony Ranch and Three Ponies Ranch this year. Which probably meant that Jake and Morgan would be there. Just fantastic.

Once she had finished breakfast, she listened to the list that Gram gave her. Go with Ross and Jack, and fix fence line. Come back, check the fencing around the chicken coop. Then weed for Gram.

"Okay. I'll see you later." She tugged on her boots, hat and grabbed a pair of gloves.

Once out, she rushed to the barn, saddled up Rodeo, and walked him out into the yard, where she met Jack.

"Where's Ross?" She asked. It was not like him to be late, or not there.

"He didn't feel good." He was using his five word sentences again.

"That doesn't sound like him."

"Food Poisoning. He was up all night. Lia started this mornin. That sound gets to mah." His southern accent showed up again.

"Yeah."She knew that it got on her nerves. "I'm glad I wasn't here for Brynna's morning sickness." He n\odded.

"So, it's just us two?" He nodded.

"I bet Pepper's taking care of Lia?" She guessed. He shook his head, and said "Dallas."

Sam understood that they were too understaffed to miss Pepper as well as Ross. So, in silence, the two mounted and rode out.

Once they were out of earshot of the farm, Sam mentioned some spots that Gram had suggested they check. They rode along in silence, until they came up to a part where they joined fence lines with Three Ponies. There Morgan sat on Witch, directly behind Jake. Sam groaned inwardly. If there was anything that ruined her day, it was Morgan. Especially as close to Jake as she was. Unfortunately, they were close enough that she would have to acknowledge them. She and Jack glanced at each other. She could tell that she was thinking almost exactly the same thing.

Being polite, she raised her hand to greet them. Jake spurred Witch to meet them.

"Hi." He began, as he helped Morgan down. That was the opposite of what he would usually do. He rarely stayed to stop and talk, let alone dismount. But that was just what he did. Sam tried not to show her annoyance.

"You feelin' okay, Samantha?" Jake asked lazily, squinting up at her from beneath his hat, showing that he had noted her look.

"Fine." She returned heatedly.

"Don't get your back up at me. I didn't do nothin'" he said in the same tone of voice.

She rolled her eyes.

"What are you two doing out here?" she asked politely.

"Jakey was showing me the view." Morgan replied for him, moving closer, putting her right hand on his arm, and her left on his chest, while still facing Jack and Sam.

"What are you two doing?" She said challengingly to Sam.

"Fixin' fence." interjected Jack. He shot a gentle look at Sam that said 'careful'. She blinked to show that she understood.

"You've never done that, Sam." Commented Jake.

"Shorthanded." was her terse reply.

"I'd send over one of my brothers, but with Kit gone and Adam in Reno-" Had it been another day, Sam would have asked why he was in Reno. But she simply said that it was okay.

"Well, don't let us keep you." Morgan flashed a smile that didn't meet her eyes, which said leave.

"If you want us to leave, all you have to do is say so-" Sam began, earning a look from Jake that begged her to be nice.

"Okay. Jake and I would like to be alone." she smirked and raised her eyebrows.

"Morgan." Jake quietly protested, but it was more of a beg.

"It's okay. We can take a hint." Sam spun Rodeo around, and pressed her heel against his side. Jack followed.

A ways off, Sam heard hoofbeats behind her. She turned, and kept going when she saw that it was Jake. Jack kept pace with her, and then Jake caught up with both of them. He did not have Morgan with him.

"Samantha!" He yelled over the roar of the wind and hoofbeats. Even Jack couldn't deny that he had heard him, even with Rodeo in between Witch and his own horse.

She slowed then stopped and snapped "What?!"

"We need to talk." He said, in his usual lazy tone.

"Okay. Talk." she said impaitiently.

"Alone." He said, rubbing his neck. Jack rode off a few paces out of earshot.

"What do we have to talk about?" She asked, deciding to play dumb.

"You know what we have to talk about, Samantha" He began. "Why are you treating me this way?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because your fiancée won't stop treating everyone like crap, and you won't do a thing about it?" She retorted.

"She doesn't feel like she fits in."

"So? Treating us like that won't make her fit in anymore!"

"Stop yelling."He begged.

"Don't tell me what to do." She snapped again.

"What did I do to you, Samantha?" He asked gently. She didn't know that he had that in him.

"You betrayed me." She hissed.

"Am I interrupting?" Asked the one voice that Sam could actually hate.

"Yes. Again!" She yelled. "Why don't you leave your poor fiancée alone for five freaking minutes?" She continued.

"Because, he doesn't want to be left alone." she simpered.

"How would you know?" Sam asked rudely. "You have no idea who Jake is. Did you know that since he was seventeen, he wanted to own the ranch? He doesn't like city girls?"

"Samantha. That's enough." Jake cut her off. Morgan let out a sob that Sam could tell was fake. However, Jake didn't fall for it. He let Morgan fall into his arms,and wrapped her there.

"Leave Morgan alone." He said.

Samantha felt like she had been slapped.

"You wonder what you did." She hissed her words out again.

He realized his mistakes, and looked horrified. But Sam turned on her heel, mounted Rodeo and cantered off, trying not to cry. Jack noticed, and took off after her, leaving Jake to comfort Morgan.

"Sam!" Jack yelled. She heard him, but did not slow down.

"Sam!" he yelled again. "You'll hurt Rodeo!" He called, somehow knowing that that alone would slow her down now. Abruptly, she came to a stop, but she was far enough ahead of him that it gave him a while to slow down and not injure his own horse.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently. She slid to the ground, and crumpled, sobbing. She didn't know why she was doing this in front of a complete stranger, but she was. She thought she heard Jack sigh, and was embarrassed. She stood up, and was surprised when Jack hugged her in such a comforting way.

"I'm sorry!" She gasped out.

"No, it's okay. Shh." He soothed. He let her cry like that for a while, until her tears slowed, and her breathing went back to normal. "Want to talk about it?" He asked, pulling back from her so that he could look into her eyes, while keeping one hand on her back.

"Sure." She closed her eyes and swallowed.

"C'mon. He turned to see that the horses had miraculously not moved an inch, and he slipped the reigns over their heads, to ground tie them. He then led Sam a little ways off, where they sat down, side by side. "Tell me what happened between you two. You look like you were once really good friends."

"We were." Sam said, making gestures as if to say 'I don't know what happened'. "Then in his junior year, he decided to breed his horse, Witch." Jack nodded, knowing who that was.

"Well, when she foaled, it was the summer of his senior year, and he had to go to college. He couldn't take both of them, so he only took Witch, once her filly, , had been weaned." She paused to take a breath, and wipe her eyes. "Then, when he came home for Christmas, when he was still in college, his parents had to break the news to him that a stallion had captured her the week before, and successfully taken her. He automatically blamed the Phantom." She shuddered at the memory. "But, he sort of knew where his hide out is, but he wouldn't go get her without my direction, because it would betray the phantom. I told him,

"_I don't know Jake!" Sam stood a foot away from him, hands on hips, red in the face. "He didn't take her!" She shouted. "I saw his whole herd with him two days after she was gone. She was not there!" She was getting annoyed, no, beyond annoyed. She was furious. How dare he not believe her!_

"_Surely you have some idea. Your stallion is one of the only ones on this range. Who else would come this close to a ranch to steal a filly?" He had a point, but she was sure that it wasn't him._

"_I don't! I only know one stallion. His whole herd, too. She wasn't one of them. And he wouldn't come to your ranch."_

"_Maybe if it had your scent on it!" Sam had slept over the day that the filly had been stolen. _

"_I doubt that would make him come, in broad daylight, to a ranch that he's never been to before, just to steal some filly that he didn't need!" She shouted again._

"_Maybe you were wrong!" he finally started to raise his voice. "Maybe she was in the herd you saw." He knew it was true, that she hadn't seen the filly._

"_Really, Jake?" She calmed her voice, knowing that she was right for once. "You think that _I _would make that kind of a mistake, when that's the exact filly I was looking for?" She raised her eyebrows. "I thought you were my friend."_

She came back to the present, and told Jack everything.

"Wow." he said.

"Yeah. And then he left, for the army, leaving Witch behind, and everyone else." She wiped her eyes, for a few tears had leaked out. "We talked a few times, but then, he just stopped writing back." She gave a shuddering sigh, and Jack leaned over to hug her, and she let him.

"Sorry about this." She said a few minutes later when they had separated.

"It's okay. You needed to get it off your chest." He said understandingly.

"Thanks." She smiled weakly at him. He nodded. He stood up, and said

"We should probably start with the fence."

"Oh, yeah." Sam gave a small laugh. He offered his hand to her and she took it, standing up. She didn't let go, once she was up.

Pulling him in, she kissed him right on the lips.

WHEW! That was a lo-ong chapter! I'm not sure how old you wean a horse at, b/c I've never had to do that. And I know I had Jake breed Witch when he was a junior, but that was the only way it would fit together. So... click that button that says Review, if you are so inclined.

Before I forget again, all original characters belong to Terri Farley. Everything else belongs to Dixie Lee.

If you think that I am copying you, please drop me a note. Thanks!


End file.
